By , J4MB: A piece by Matthew Moore (Media Correspondent) on the front page of today’s Times, emphases ours:
More men than women will receive salary rises at the BBC after managers carried out a review of presenter pay to address allegations of discrimination from female staff members.
Nearly 200 on-air staff will be entitled to automatic pay boosts as the corporation looks to impose a clear structure for talent salaries for the first time. The broadcaster was forced to take action after dozens of female staff complained that they were earning less than male colleagues.
However, the “fair and transparent” framework announced yesterday will benefit a larger number of men than women. Analysis by the auditors PwC identified 98 male presenters and 90 female presenters who are entitled to a rise because their salaries are below the new pay ranges for their roles.
The prospect of male presenters being awarded larger salaries threatens to inflame tensions within the corporation at a time when many women staff feel that their complaints about pay inequality are not being taken seriously.
[J4MB: Women staff “feel” that, do they? Well, then. THINGS MUST BE DONE – HOWEVER STUPID AND DAMAGING – UNTIL THEY “FEEL” HAPPY AGAIN.]
Lord Hall of Birkenhead, the BBC’s director-general, and Sir David Clementi, its chairman, will be questioned today on the proposals by MPs. The development comes after Carrie Gracie resigned this month as China editor, accusing the BBC of illegal gender discrimination and reviving the pay dispute.
The PwC review of 824 presenters’ salaries found that the BBC’s excessive respect for established male stars, combined with a lack of consistency and transparency, was to blame for on-air pay “anomalies”. There was no evidence of unlawful gender bias, however: the 6.8 per cent gender pay gap among presenters was smaller than its overall figure of 9.3 per cent.
The worst disparities occurred in lower-profile presenting roles. Among the top tier of hosts and correspondents, the gender pay gap was 0.4 per cent. Some male stars, including John Humphrys, have agreed to a pay cut. [J4MB: Their alternative option being…?]
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